La Grange Camping and Caravanning

The proprietors can point you towards the various footpaths crisscrossing the locality, and advise on bigger, longer expeditions. If you’re more into pounding pavements, it’s half an hour to see the village of Nohant where Sand finally settled and an hour to Argenton-sur-Creuse, a riverside spot so striking it’s sometimes compared to Venice: museums and galleries abound and the remains of the Roman settlement are worth a nose round too. Equally satisfying, especially if you’re planning a scenic picnic or a grill-fest back at La Grange, are the weekly markets held in the various nearby towns: Sainte-Sévère, Boussac and La Châtre can all be reached in a 20-minute drive and you’ll leave them groaning with local produce. For more active pursuits, there’s waterskiing and wakeboarding at Pouligny-Notre-Dame and all sorts of further water-based frolics on the lake at Sidailles, both 20 minutes away; you can zipwire your way through the trees at Sidailles as well or just swim in the lake and sun yourself on the beach. For animal encounters, try horse and pony treks from the equestrian centre at Le Chambon (45 minutes) or visit the furry and (reasonably) friendly wolf pack at Les Loups de Chabrières an hour away; they're part of a bigger wildlife park around the hilly and forested Monts de Guéret that's also home to deer and badgers, foxes and boar.